Community
How I fit in a very unexpected community here at Loyola |
In high school I found fitting into a community to be very challenging. I spread my time and effort over many different facets by involving myself in soccer, wind ensemble, and academic teams; however, I never felt a deep comfort in any of these activities. I'm not trying to convey that I did not make friends within these activities or that I was uncomfortable in them, but my sense of community felt too scattered to feel wholesome and rewarding
As I arrived at Loyola, I was fully prepared to continue the same trend as in high school. I had enrolled in wind ensemble, tried out for club soccer, and gotten to know my classmates and the people I lived with in Campion Hall. But one particular group of people began to stand out. I started spending great amounts of time doing homework, studying, and coding with my fellow Bioinformatics majors. Spending time, whether it be leisure or academic, never felt forced or unpleasant, and I truly felt a sense of community with these people. These individuals grew as my greatest friends that year. I do enjoy being a part of the club soccer team and the Loyola Wind Ensemble, but the greatest sense of community I felt grew with those that share my focus, intent, and interests in academia. Gaining that sense of community was truly the biggest change I felt in my transition from high school to being here at Loyola and I would not change it for anything. |